1969 BMW R-Series

1818090

Clear

I am offering this well-sorted 1969 BMW R60/2. It starts on one kick and has the original, and unique for the last years of the series, equipment. This being the 8/27 rear drive, red light for high beam in the headlight shell, cadmium-plated front pegs, LK(long reach) cylinder heads, late style carb float chamber tops, grease fitting on front swingarm and finally please note that there are plugged holes on the headlight ears and rear fender for the year-mandated reflectors which could be easily installed but were not with the bike when I got it. Here is this bike's story as I've been able to discover. About three months ago a friend informed me that this bike was available and had been wrecked a while ago. I called and arranged to see it the following day. On arrival, I checked it out and could see the rear wheel rim was severely bent as was the center stand right leg. The right stainless muffler was missing. While I could see it had once been a very nice bike, when it went down the clutch perch spun and smashed the left side of the gas tank, the headlight shell was deformed with light components damaged, and finally the speedo lens was cracked and the bezel and trip knob banged up. The only frame damage appeared to be scrapes on the left rear shock tower and slight damage to the right muffler hanger. The seller told me he bought it from the man who had laid it down at low speed. After some time I was able to find and talk to that man. By the time I finally reached him I had drained and cleaned the tank (later replaced) and disassembled and cleaned the carburetors, adjusted the valves, and changed all fluids and had it running. It ran well, had no noises, had good compression, and didn't leak oil. That previous owner reported that at the time of the accident he indeed was riding slowly (35 mph) and wasn't paying attention and when he looked up he found himself on a bridge bearing left and hit the right bridge curb with the right muffler and rear wheel and then proceeded to go down on the left side. This matched the damage I could see perfectly. I then asked him about its history. He said he bought it in 1998-1999 from an expert BMW restorer in Washington state and that it was beautiful and ran perfectly. I asked him what had been done to the motor. He said that he didn't know what the restorer had done but only that he was sure any required work was done as that gentleman was "meticulous." So I can't say with any certainty that the crankshaft slingers have been cleaned but I can attest to what I've done. Once I had it running nicely I borrowed a wheel off of my wife's R60/2 and took it for a ride to check that it tracked true, which it did. I then removed most of the cadmium hardware which was tatty, the fuel tank, and the headlight shell. I cut off the alloy wheel rims from the hubs and acquired one to replace the bent rim. Then I mig welded the scrapes on the left rear shock tower and filed the excess down and also mig welded the right muffler hanger. I rewired in a spare headlight shell that I had, rebuilt the speedo with a new lens, bezel, fixed the trip odometer, and put on a new knob. I polished all the alloy and touched up several chips in the paint. I am not a painter so this was done to prevent rust. I replaced the gas tank, cap, and one emblem (I have took kit key but no tool kit). The body work overall looks very presentable as the gas tank (Holt-painted 30 years ago) and front fender are still straight and shiny. Most chips were on the rear fender. I replaced most (but not all) cadmium-plated hardware (NOS or fresh plated), some chrome, the center stand, rear pegs (missing), solo seat (the junk Steiger solo on it had put a nice dent on the top of the rear fender when the Steiger seat collapsed. The real Denfeld I used has aging rubber), one valve cover, and a dimmer switch body. As I never was able to find a right stainless muffler to match the left it had, I put on some cocktail shaker mufflers. The horn doesn't work. Then there are the new parts:Stainless spokesThree wheel sealsHeadlight bulb, reflector, lens, chrome rimSpeedo lens, bezel, knobDimmer harness and grommetBattery and strapAir pumpRear rackOil and fluidsTires, tubes, rim stripGrips and speedo cable grommetAir tube rubbersPlugsI rebuilt the wheels, buffing and polishing the genuine Weiman rims, cleaned and checked preload of bearings, replaced three of the four wheel seals, bead blasted the hubs, laced and trued in stainless spokes, and replaced tires and tubes. I'm sure I've forgotten some parts and jobs that I replaced or did but that's enough for now. The pictures tell the rest. My goal was to make a sweet runner and I believe I have. While I can't guarantee mileage or the future I can tell you I've sold a number of bikes in the last few years (mostly BMWs) and I've never had a complaint. This gem starts instantly, pulls strong, doesn't leak, looks good to my friends and family, and should continue to do so for a long time. My reserve is a reasonable $7750. If you want to finish it with new paint that's your choice. I think it's quite handsome now and wouldn't be ashamed of it anywhere. Thank you for looking.